GEOGRAPHY OF THE COLD WAR
In which US city was President John F. Kennedy assassinated on 22 November 1963?
a.) Dallas
b.) Washington D.C.
c.) New York City
d.) Los Angeles
e.) Chicago
a.) Dallas
Ancient Romans used which element to make plumbing?
a.) Aluminum
b.) Copper
c.) Lead
d.) Nickel
e.) Silver
c.) Lead
Because it is highly durable and resistant to corrosion, lead (chemical symbol Pb from the Latin plumbum) was used by the Romans to make water pipes as well as coins and cooking utensils. By the time of Augustus Caesar, lead poisoning had become an issue in Rome.
During the Cold War, what was the name of the strategic foreign policy pursued by the United States which aimed to prevent the spread of communism?
a.) Detente
b.) Rollback
c.) Deterrence
d.) Containment
e.) Domino Effect
d.) Containment
On 1 February 2024, which Formula One driver made a shock announcement stating that he would be joining the Ferrari team for the 2025 racing season?
a.) Max Verstappen
b.) Fernando Alonso
c.) Lewis Hamilton
d.) Charles Leclerc
e.) Sergio Perez
c.) Lewis Hamilton
What movie won seven Academy Awards at the 2024 Oscars including best picture, best actor, and best director?
a.) Killers of the Flower Moon
b.) American Fiction
c.) Barbie
d.) Oppenheimer
e.) The Holdovers
d.) Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer won:
- Best Picture
- Best Actor (Cillian Murphy)
- Best Director (Christopher Nolan)
- Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr.)
- Best Cinematography
- Best Film Editing
- Best Original Score.
In 1949, in which country did Mao Zedong's People's Liberation Army defeat Chiang Kai-shek's US-backed Kuomintang (KMT) and establish a communist government?
a.) North Korea
b.) Vietnam
c.) Japan
d.) Indonesia
e.) China
e.) China
A "flutter" is a group of which of the following animals?
a.) Bats
b.) Butterflies
c.) Vultures
d.) Penguins
e.) Bees
b.) Butterflies
In the early 1950s, which former marine captain and senator from Wisconsin alleged that numerous communists and Soviet spies had infiltrated the United States federal government, universities, and Hollywood?
a.) Dwight D. Eisenhower
b.) Audie Murphy
c.) Joseph R. McCarthy
d.) Adlai E. Stevenson
e.) Estes Kefauver
c.) Joseph R. McCarthy
Which NFL team became the first to win a Super Bowl by more than 40 points when they destroyed the Denver Broncos 55-11 during Super Bowl XXIV on 28 January 1990 at the Louisiana Superdome?
a.) Washington Redskins
b.) Dallas Cowboys
c.) San Francisco 49ers
d.) New York Giants
e.) Pittsburgh Steelers
c.) San Francisco 49ers
In Latin, how would you say "the existing state of affairs"?
a.) Status quo
b.) Pro temporare
c.) Quid pro quo
d.) Alma mater
e.) Carpe Diem
a.) Status quo
In 1948-1949, which European city did the Soviet Union blockade - preventing delivery of Western food, materials and supplies - in an attempt to expel American, British, and French forces with whom it shared joint control of the city?
a.) Paris
b.) Warsaw
c.) Rome
d.) Berlin
e.) Vienna
d.) Berlin
For nearly 11 months - from June 1948 to May 1949 - the Allies maintained a lifeline to the residents of West Berlin by air which was known as the "Berlin Air Lift."
Which element found in red blood cells helps carry oxygen?
a.) Boron
b.) Nitrogen
c.) Calcium
d.) Iron
e.) Phosphorus
d.) Iron
The iron in hemoglobin forms a reversible bond with oxygen; they latch together in the lungs and then split at the oxygen’s destination.
During the 1980s, which Soviet leader introduced a series of reforms - including glasnost ("openness") and perestroika ("restructuring ") - that hastened the collapse of the Soviet Union and effectively ended the Cold War?
a.) Boris Yeltsin
b.) Mikhail Gorbachev
c.) Nikita Khrushchev
d.) Joseph Stalin
e.) Leonid Brezhnev
b.) Mikhail Gorbachev
Gorbachev''s perestroika ("restructuring") and glasnost ("openness") policies fundamentally altered Soviet economic and political structures, weakening the Communist Party and ultimately leading to the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
On 9 March 2024, who became the first NBA player to record six straight 30-point triple doubles as his team defeated the Detroit Pistons 142-124? A triple-double is defined as achieving ten or more points in three of the following five categories: points, assists, rebounds, steals, or blocks.
a.) Russell Westbrook
b.) Luka Doncic
c.) Giannis Antetokounmpo
d.) James Harden
e.) Nikola Jokić
b.) Luka Doncic
When did the US Treasury start to inscribe the motto "In God We Trust" on coins?
a.) During World War II
b.) During World War I
c.) During the Civil War
d.) During the War of 1812
e.) During the American Revolution
c.) During the Civil War
An Act of Congress on 22 April 1864 directed the US Treasury to start putting the motto "In God We Trust" on coins. The motto has been used on all coins since 1909. On 30 July 1956, President Eisenhower signed a joint resolution of Congress declaring "In God We Trust" the national motto of the United States.
In which country did the stationing of nuclear-armed missiles bring the U.S. and the Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war in October 1962?
a.) Venezuela
b.) Egypt
c.) Cuba
d.) Turkey
e.) North Korea
c.) Cuba
The "Cuban Missile Crisis" was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of nuclear missiles in Italy and Turkey were matched by Soviet deployments of nuclear missiles in Cuba. The crisis lasted from 16 to 28 October 1962. The confrontation is widely considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into full-scale nuclear war.
Potassium nitrate, once used as a preservative to cure meats, is now mainly found in fertilizers and explosives. What was its previously common name?
a.) Saltpeter
b.) Hartshorn
c.) Brimstone
d.) Vitriol
e.) Kerosene
a.) Saltpeter
Saltpeter helped the preserving salt to penetrate the meat more evenly and also preserved its pink color. Although it is a preservative and has pharmaceutical applications, potassium nitrate is on the Hazardous Substance List as it can be seriously harmful if directly ingested or inhaled - not to mention its use in gunpowder and other explosives, besides fertilizers.
The name saltpeter can apply to both potassium and sodium nitrate.
Presented to the American public in March 1983, what was the nickname of President Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative which promised to defend the United States against Soviet missiles using technology that had not yet been fully developed?
a.) Star Wars
b.) The Matrix
c.) Iron Dome
d.) Project Intercept
e.) Laser Shield
a.) Star Wars
The Strategic Defense Initiative promised to use space-based laser battle stations to destroy Soviet missiles before they could reach their targets. Congress approved initial funding for the project even though there was much debate about whether such a project would be technologically feasible and whether it would provoke another arms race.
In probably the greatest comeback win in NFL history, Frank Reich - subbing for Buffalo Bills starting QB Jim Kelly - led the Bills to an overtime playoff victory after being down 35-3 early in the second half. Who was the Bills' opposition on that day - 3 January 1993?
a.) Denver Broncos
b.) L.A. Raiders
c.) Miami Dolphins
d.) Houston Oilers
e.) San Francisco 49ers
d.) Houston Oilers
In September 1952, which famous Hollywood actor left the United States and moved his entire family and estate to Switzerland after being accused of being a communist in the press and becoming the target of an official FBI investigation launched in 1947?
a.) Marlon Brando
b.) Charlie Chaplin
c.) James Dean
d.) Gary Cooper
e.) John Wayne
b.) Charlie Chaplin
Often cited as its first foreign regime change, the CIA deposed the prime minister of which country in 1953 after he nationalized its oil industry?
a.) Guatemala
b.) Iran
c.) Saudi Arabia
d.) Chile
e.) Congo
b.) Iran
What do you call the cartilage wall that separates the nostrils of the nose?
a.) Maxilla
b.) Vestibule
c.) Naris
d.) Septum
e.) Loin
d.) Septum
Launched as a surprise attack to coincide with the Vietnamese New Year on 30 January 1968, which major military engagement witnessed North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces assault US Army bases across Vietnam and played a key role in convincing the American public that any US victory in Vietnam would be a long and difficult struggle?
a.) Battle of La Drang
b.) Tet Offensive
c.) Battle of Hamburger Hill
d.) Battle of Ke Sanh
e.) Easter Offensive
b.) Tet Offensive
Battle of La Drang - November 1965. First major confrontation between US Army and Vietnamese forces in central South Vietnam.
Battle of Hamburger Hill - May 1969. Controversial battle in which US commanders sacrificed dozens of infantrymen in a frontal assault to capture a hill of little strategic value along Vietnam's border with Laos.
Battle of Ke Sanh - January-July 1968. 6000 US Marines guarding a US base threatening the Ho Chi Minh trail are besieged by 15000-20000 Vietnamese troops.
Easter Offensive - March-May 1972. A massive invasion of South Vietnam by North Vietnamese troops is only defeated thanks to heavy US air support.
In 1997, the number 42 was forever retired from Major League Baseball in honor of which player?
a.) Jackie Robinson
b.) Babe Ruth
c.) Mickey Mantle
d.) Willie Mays
e.) Ted Williams
a.) Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson famously broke the Major League Baseball color line in 1947. He retired in 1956. The number 42 was retired in his honor in 1997.
On Friday 8 March 2024, Juan Orlando Hernández, once a US ally in the ‘war on drugs’, became the first former head of state to be found guilty of drug trafficking in the United States since Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega was convicted in 1992.
Hernández, 55, was notably indicted for accepting a $1 million bribe from the notorious former leader of the Sinaloa cartel, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Of which Central American country did Hernández formerly serve as president?
a.) El Salvador
b.) Costa Rica
c.) Honduras
d.) Nicaragua
e.) Guatemala
c.) Honduras